Massive New Jersey Pine Barrens Fire Now Fully Contained

A massive 2,500-acre forest fire burns in Ocean County, N.J., early on April 12, 2023. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP

MANCHESTER, N.J.—A fire that tore through 6 square miles of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens this week has now been fully contained, authorities said Thursday.

The blaze in Manchester, near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, forced the evacuation of around 170 homes late Tuesday, with police and fire officials going door-to-door to ask people to take temporary shelter at a nearby high school.